September 17

This is Hayley. She is from Houston.

I am back at the hostel - my new "home." I feel so much better now about my situation. I’m starting to memorize my schedule and I organized a binder for school.

I want to share with you all a cultural experience I had on my way home from Nahariya. Melissa and I went our separate ways in Tel Aviv – Melissa took a bus to her apartment while I ventured off into the night to get home to Jerusalem. You have to know that we are advised not to travel at night by ourselves, especially because we haven’t been in the country long enough to know the public transportation yet. However, I did not have a choice because I had to get back for class on Sunday and trains don’t start running until late Saturday night because of Shabbat.

I found my way to the ‘grey hound’ bus station area and bought myself a ticket on the last train to J-town. The bus was very crowded – people even stood for this hour-long ride. A mother sat down next to me and put her two-year-old girl between us, so I squished against the window. Then she said something to me in Hebrew that I, of course, did not understand. The next thing I know, she is holding her ~6 month old baby out to me. I take the boy and she says “toda” (thank you), informing me that I have done the right thing. She walks away and leaves me with her two children. After five minutes of me being amazed that she trusted a stranger and in awe of the adorable child on my lap, the mother returned and retrieved her child. The four of us spent the next 55 minutes cozily nestled into two seats.

I learned that full-on families use public transportation all the time here. Women with small children, who aren’t even poor, take buses and trains. Additionally, Israelis who are serving in the army get free public transportation. It’s nice to look around and see men and women proud to be wearing their green uniforms.

When I got out of the taxi at my hostel I felt completely liberated and a sense of confidence rushed through me. I felt like I had conquered Israel. There is nothing here I cant do now!